Description and visualization of graminaceous plants with an organ-based 3D architectural model, exemplified for spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Within the framework of functional-structural plant models (FSPMs) this paper presents a structural (architectural) plant model that describes the morphology of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants. A set of equations is introduced and implemented in self-written Matlab(R) computer programs to calculate the surface shape of vegetative and generative plant organs. Organ surfaces are approximated as geometrical primitives, visualized as triangulated surface meshes. The output of the model is a set of triangles that can be associated with geometrical (e.g. area), topological (e.g. main stem) and physiological (e.g. chlorophyll content) attributes, depending on the measurement techniques applied. This information is a prerequisite for functional (process) models to compute, e.g., the radiation field or gas exchange of the respective canopy.